I'm Sorry Bro
by Atlaxz
Summary: Family is everything. But sometimes, family leaves you, and you can't stop it.


I'm Sorry Bro

* * *

Another one-shot, I guess. got inspired by listening to "Red Like Roses Pt. 2" and tell of another OC from Team SHDW. This is Dao's Reemer's story, and some cliche that have been over exhausted but hopefully not over exhausted. Dear god I hope there aren't any Gary Stu's in this one but. Anyways, hope you enjoy. Song is posted here, but every RWBY fan should know this. =)

watch?v=euuxPokAeIA

* * *

Dao was spending a night on the town with his friends. They went to The Tea Pot, a local club that had just opened up and was rumored to be one of the best hotspots in town. Well... it certainly was. The best music, best drinks, and some of the most popular students from Highland Academy were there. Dao was sitting in a booth with some of his friends from Highland: Felina Durand (fox faunus), Warin Huff, Clouse Myster (cat faunus), Tza Torent (mouse faunus), and Zuno Hi-gery. They were having drinks and reminiscing of their pranks and training exercises that they just had a blast with. But more importantly, they were celebrating their acceptance to Hallow Academy and on their way to becoming fully fledged huntsmen and huntresses. His friend Warin raised his glass among the table of six.

"A toast, to the future Grimm hunters and badasses of the world!"

The rest of the party members raised their glasses. "HEAR HEAR!" they roared, and took one massive chug at their beverages. Felina looked around the club.

"So Dao, where's your lil brother? Shouldn't he be here, celebrating your big achievement?"

Dao burped and laughed. "Nah, he's working late at one of those Schnee company labs. He wants to work on Dust production."

"He does know interns don't get paid right?" said Clouse.

"Yeah, but he wants to make mom and dad proud. He thinks if he works hard enough, he could get a job by the time he's seventeen."

"So, instead of kicking ass, he wants to kiss-ass?"

The group laughed. Dao made a friend punch to the shoulder of Clouse and clinked their glasses.

"He's a smart kid. Sure he may not be the best fighter, but at least we can say he isn't completely useless. And besides, I heard the Schnee Company pays pretty well."

"I don't man, I've heard the company is kind of shifty: using Faunus laborers to do all of the heavy lifting, slave labor, mining operations in the off-limit zones. I even heard they'e in some kind of underworld war with the White Fang."

"That's the reason why he's interning in R&D." Dao took another drink. "He thinks he can stop that by making some kind of thing that does Dust or something. Damn, I think he told me a million times, but I totally lose interest. Anyways, he.."

Dao was interruped when he felt something vibrating in his thigh. It was his phone. There was a text message from his little brother, Jian.

"Who is it?" asked Felina.

"It's Jian. Said he needs me to take him home."

"Aww," moaned the group in disappointment.

"Total buzz kill," added Tza.

"Couldn't he take a cab, or the train?" asked Clouse.

"The stations don't run anywhere near my house," Dao answered. "And besides, it's an forty-five minute drive by cab. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't have enough money for that kind of ride."

The night was about to be ruined; until Zuno came up with an idea.

"Did you tell your brother where you are?"

Dao thought about it for a second and remembered: "No, I just told him I'll be out."

"Well, your brother is about thirty minutes away driving distance from The Tea Pot, right?"

"Where are you going with this?" asked Felina.

"Dao could just tell him he's at Yellow Island; which is an hour-and-a-half travel time by airship to the company docks, which is a five minute drive to the company lab. He'll understand that it will take him a while to get there, and we can have about an hour of party time until then."

"Sounds like a plan," said Dao. "But I better tell him first."

Message Sent: _At Yellow Island. Will be running late. You can stay there for a lil while right? - __Big Bro_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Received:_ Yeah_,_ I guess I can wait a lil. Trying out new thing anyways. Might get job if it works hopefully. - Lil Bro_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Sent: _Sorry man. - Big Bro_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Received: _Nah, it's kewl. Might head to mom and dad's grave later. Dad's grave is gettin dirty; just like him, and you know how mom hates messy. Lol. L8er - Lil Bro_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Sent: _K. Just be careful. You remember what I taught you right? - Big Bro_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Received: _U mean what "they" taught you? Lol. I'll be fine. Two years younger doesn't make me two years weaker. Hate you! =P - Lil Bro__  
_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Sent: _Lol. __Hate you too ass-licker - Big Bro_

"AND THE PARTY CONTINUES!" yelled Dao.

* * *

_..._

_..._

_..._

Message Received: _Lol. Hate you too ass-licker - Big Bro_

Jian sneered at his brother's message, and closed his phone. "Hmph, typical party Dao. Bet three Lien chips he's off elsewhere else. Oh well, at least he's puts some emotional backup into these lies this time; and not the usual, 'Mind your own business' or 'Calm down, I'm just out' and the classic 'Just do something till I get there'."

He then took a sip of coffee.

"Well, back to work."

Jian was working hard on a new project of his. With the spare time he was given, he experimented with some of the Dust from the lab to create a small Dust catcher, being able to catch and absorb Dust particles from a yet to be determined distance and siphon them into the grey diamond-shaped device. It hovered over his desk, dimly lighting his work space. Jian took out a green Dust crystal and a small vial of red powdered Dust. He held the crystal with a set of tongs and stood back from the Dust catcher. He activated a video recorder so he could examine the procedure in the late future.

"Hello? Is this damn thing on? Ah! It is. Good. Jian Reemer, commencing test number forty-eight on device. 'Dust Bunny' procedure will now begin. First, the crystallized Dust."

He held the crystal near the device dubbed "Dust Bunny", carefully inching the crystal closer and closer to the device in hopes that it will do what he hypothesized it would do. He tapped the Dust Bunny with the end of the crystal, but nothing happened. Thirty-eight minutes in the test and still, nothing happened. Jian sighed in disappointment. He placed the crystal and tongs on the table next to him and looked at the recorder.

"Test number forty-eight has failed to achieve expectations. Good news is: Dust Bunny did not explode like the last time." _sigh_

It was then that the Dust crystal started to levitate behind him, and then began to dematerialize, all the while the Dust Bunny opened up into separate segmented pieces and began absorbing the Dust. Jian turned around and looked at the gazed in disbelief. _Oh my God, it finally worked. _He then looked at the vial of dust next to him and watched as it started moving towards the now greenly lit device. The vial flew toward the object and broke upon impact. Jian expected a violent explosion, but instead, the red Dust merely circled around the device and was quickly sucked into it. Now it was glowing yellow. He quickly faced the recorder again: antsy, excited, and stuttering.

"Welp... I mean 'well', with muth anticipated... much ancipation... UGH! MUCH AN-TIC-IP-AT-ION. And now with current success, I can now say that P-P-P-Project Dust Bunny has achieved its first step. Wow! I'm excited. Spent almost a year-and-a-half on this thing, but if it works as I hope... well, to the board of directors who are watching this recording: Do I have a future at the Schnee Dust Company?"

He closed his recorder and tapped at a symbol on one of the plates of the Dust Bunny. It reconnected back into its grey diamond form, still dimly glowing with no hint of the two Dust collected inside. He was about ready to leave the lab. He glanced over at his desk while packing his belongings, looking at an old photo of his family. He smiled and placed Dust Bunny into a metal thermos in his backpack. He walked out of the lab and into the cubical area. _Man it's dark_. He took out a flashlight from his bag and carefully walked across the pitch black aisle.

"Man, what I give to have faunus vision right about now." He bumped into a few cubicles, and slipped on a manilla folder. He landed face first onto the cold floor and managed to get back up. His flashlight aimed right at a picture of the Schnee family. There was a girl a caught his eye, dressed in white.

_Whew _he whistled. "What a looker." All of a sudden, the sound of breaking glass caught his attention. He saw what looked like three men wearing masks and armed with a machine gun. Jian quickly hid behind one of the cubicles and shut off his flashlight. Outside the window, he saw a VTOL hovering outside with search lights. One of the armed men was making his way toward him. With shear instinct, he ran and just as soon as he got up, the three hostiles open fired. He made his way back to the lab and sealed himself inside. His heart raced. He never went to the academy, and now wished he went with his brother. He found himself cornered, and with no other escape options.

"Well that's just great!" he yelled sarcastically.

He then noticed that the intruders were burning their way through the door.

"And now that's just perfect!" he yelled, once again, in a sarcastic tone. Jian took out his phone and tried to call the police, but it was no good. All there was on his phone was static. _Being jammed, dammit!_

The door was nearly cut down and there was very little he could so about it. Just then he remembered of another project he work was working on thanks to the spare parts he found lying around in R&D. He threw his backpack under his desk and ran to his locker. He tapped 7892 onto the keypad and the locker opened up. Inside, there was a robotic battle armor with its interior being revealed and chest piece opened up. He stepped inside and immediately the armor closes and a helmet formed around from the back of his head. It was a really tight fit. _Man this this is tight. __That's what she said,_ he thought, hoping this won't be his last time to make a dirty joke. This was the first time he ever got into this thing, but at least it didn't explode... yet. His visor glew light blue. His HUD displayed his current status.

_/ONLINE/_

_..._

_Custom File: Tracklist - Active_

_Custom File: Photo Gallery - Active_

_..._

_Communication Status: Jammed_

_Security Status: Offline_

_..._

_Status_

_- Armor Integrity: 100%_

_- Weapons Systems: Active_

_- Vitals: Normal_

_- Dust Charging Capacitors: 76%_

_- A.I. Alice: Online_

"Good, looks like I have most of the essentials."

A female voice then began to speak.

_"Good morning Jian_ Reemer," said Alice._ "How are you today?"_

"Well let's make a list: There are some guys with guns outside of the lab ready to kill me; Comms are being jammed, so no help from the cops or anyone else for that matter; I haven't had anything to eat since four in the afternoon; and it's night, not morning."

_"... I will make the adjustment. Do you wish to run through the tutorial?"_

Jian thought about it really quickly.

"That'll depend, how long is the tutorial? Like, what are we talking about: seconds or minutes?" he asked.

_"The total length is clocked at around: 25 minutes and 15 seconds."_

"Well goddamn!" He was pretty sure he didn't have that much time to learn everything. "Okay, what about weapons? How many you got?"

_"Offensive capabilities are as followed: Rifle unit - collapsed, sword units - collapsed, shoulder repeater unit - standby, knuckle units - default, cannon unit - collapsed, arcane projectors - default, and a pop gun with a flag that says 'BANG' written on it - collapsed."_

_Shouldn't have installed that feature. _He thought. "What about defenses?"

_''Defense capabilities are as followed: shield units -collapsed, and shield aura unit - standby."_

The door was nearly cut down.

"Alice, run down the equipment to HUD. Have them interfaced with eye coordination and voice command."

Jian took a step out of the locker and faced the door. He knew they enemy will try to throw everything at him. He wasn't going to run, that's the coward's way out. And being on the twenty-second floor, he doubt he would survive jumping outside. As for making his way down stairs to the elevator, no doubt the enemy would have blocked them. And then there was that VTOL. Jian clenched his fist, and went to the HUD's file menu and displayed a photo of his family. He then moved it to the top left of his screen. His heart was beating rapidly and he has a gut clenched feeling in his stomach. _Guess this is the real deal. No more running from fights. No more crying from the pain. Mom... dad... bro... I'll make you proud. I just got to remember the basics. And remember, it's them, or me. I just need one more thing to set the mood._

"Alice, go to menu and ready Track 9 once those doors come down."

_"I have it set and ready to play."_

"Perfect."

The door came down with a loud metallic thud.

_And... play._

The eight armed men began to open fire.

"Alice, shield!"

_"Aegis: Deployed."_

His left arm projected a large circular shield and Jian crouched to avoid taking a lucky shot.

_I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute;  
Couldn't bear another day without you in it.  
All of the joy that I had known for all my life  
Was stripped away from me the minute that you died.  
_

Jian took a quick glance and got a better look at his assailants.

"White Fang?!" he said, shocked. _They never told me anything about these guys during orientation!_

_To have you in my life was all I ever wanted,  
But now without you I'm a soul forever haunted.  
Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted;  
No way in Hell that I can ever comprehend this._

"Alice, shoulder repeater! Now!" commanded.

_"Reaper: Deployed."_

Jian didn't know how much more the shield could take.

"Fire!" he yelled.

_"Targeting hostiles. Firing."_

The shoulder minigun fired a barrage of bullets. The White Fang members took cover behind the desks and took potshots at him.

_I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone,  
I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong.  
How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay?  
Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day._

The gun overheated and went back to standby mode. _So much for suppressing fire,_ he thought. When they heard the gun stopped firing, three members too out their swords and charged at him.

"Alice, sword!"

_"Excalibur: Deployed."_

A large blade unfolded from Jian's right arm. He swung carelessly at the three. They limboed his swing and lunged at his back. Jian blocked the blades with his shield. He reactivated the overheated minigun and it knocked of of them back. The assailant cried out in pain as the gun was still heated when it hit him. The other two took their comrade and retreated. Meanwhile, four more entered the lab, equipped with rocket launches. They fired at once. Jian moved hi shield towards the front and blocked the shots. The impact knocked him back and he collided against the wall. The barrage of bullets started again. Out of instinct, he raises he right hand; the sword unit folds back.

_"Black-shield: Deployed."_

A barrier surrounded Jian and protected him from the attack.

_It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending;  
Every scene fades black, and there's no pretending.  
This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well,  
There's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell._

"Ugh! Alice. Status?" He felt as though he swallowed his own heart and stomach at the same time.

_"Armor Integrity at 87 percent. Black-shield: 76 percent and dropping. Vitals indicate that you are suffering from..."_

"Yeah I really don't want to know," he interrupted. "Alice, ready cannon and fire when I give the command," he groaned in pain.

_"Big Bad Wolf: Deployed."_ Jian's right and left arm fused and a massive barrel extended outward. His HUD displayed the targets. Twelve.

"FIRE!" he yelled out. "Ack... it hurts to yell."

A giant white phosphorus pulse erupted from the barrel. The Fang members ducked. The beam shot out across the aisle and smashed right at the turbines of a Bullhead hovering outside.

_I know you didn't plan this;  
You tried to do what's right.  
But in the middle of this madness,  
I'm the one you left to win this fight._

"SWORDS! Argh... Why do I yell?" he questioned in pain.

_"Because it's cool?" _Alice replied.

"... You make a very valid point." Jian grinned. Now, both left and right arms unfolded Excalibur units. He charged at them and began slashing away.

_Red like roses_  
_Fills my head with dreams and finds me_  
_Always closer_  
_To the emptiness and sadness_  
_That has come to take the place of you._

After disposing of the twelve, he ran to his backpack and grabbed Dust Bunny. He then magnetized it to his lower back. He walk out of the lab, and five more grunts ran out from the corner of the aisle. They charged in with swords in hand. Jian met them halfway and parried the onslaught of swords. He kicked one in the head but lowered his guard and took a blade in the back.

"URGH!" he groaned loudly in pain. He then cut down the attacker. The other three then attacked him at once but caught all three blades with his own two. He stared directly at them. His blue visor made an evil grin. The minigun, now off cooldown, was aimed towards them. The three looked at each other, worried.

_"Reaper?"_

Jian grinned underneath his helmet. "Reaper." The gun spun and fired.

_I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness;_  
_You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness._  
_Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute;_  
_Make you understand the reasons why I did it._

The gun stopped, and Jian's blades retracted back, knowing he'll need them later. He scanned the room, trying to search for the location of the jamming device. The problem was, the room was still pitch black. Thankfully, he a solution for that.

"Night vision."

_"Cycling optics."_

His visor flashed to a bright green. He looked at the top right of his HUD for a signal. Nothing. In order for him to get a signal, he'll have to either kill the source of the jamming or get a signal from the outside from outside. Jumping out was completely out of the question, and he knew more troops would be deployed from the roof. So that means he had to make his way down all twenty-two floors to get outside. Which will be a problem since more White Fang members are repelling toward his location. He ran toward the nearest staircase but was met with eight more members. He punched one in the nose and another in the mouth. The other six began shooting at him. His armor blocked some of the damage and popped his blades. He cut their rifles in half and kicked them down the stairs. Unfortunetly, there were more of them coming from the top and bottom. He exited the stairwell and onto the twenty-first floor. A Bullhead aimed its searchlight at him. The light connected with his night vision and he cried out in pain.

"ACK! Alice, shut down night vision!"

_"Disabling nocturnal optics."_

His visor went back to its light blue color. He placed his hands over his helmet.

"Dammit! Right in my freakin eyes! God I think I'm blind!"

_"My sensors indicate that your vision is..."_

"I WAS BEING RHETORICAL DAMMIT!"

_"And I responded with a rheotrical answer," _Aliced joked.

"REAPER!" he order. The gun slung over his shoulder.

_"Firing."_

It destroyed the search lights and then targeted the cockpit. The VTOL moved away from the building soon after.

_I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered;_  
_Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered._  
_I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to,_  
_And in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you._

He stumbled around for a bit, trying to feel his surrounding. Once he got back his sight he took notice of an automated turret displacement across the hall. It fired at Jian, hitting him with almost perfect accuracy. He deployed two Aegis units before he took took much damage and rammed it.

_"Sentry gun has been terminated,"_ said Alice.

"I noticed," Jian responded. "But when did radical Faunus' get the tech for this?"

* * *

Dao and his friends were walking outside for a stroll. All of a sudden, they took notice to a hot beam of white light streak across the sky.

"Whoa! Is that a shooting star?" asked Zuno.

"No, that was a shot from a HEG-117 particle cannon," Warin answered.

Dao then turned to the direction of the beam. It came where his brother would be. Then, the gang heard a sound of thunder from the distance, but there were no clouds in sight from miles. All of a sudden, police cars and firetrucks raced across the street to the source of the light. Dao's eyes widened.

"Oh no..."

"What's wrong Dao," asked Felina. He tugged at his sleeve.

"I have to go," he said. "I need to check up on my brother."

"Why, what happened?"

"I think something happened at the company! I have to go!" Felina and the others watched as Dao ran to his car and took off. Dao took out his phone, evading oncoming traffic at the same time, and tried calling Jian.

"Come on Jian, pick up, pick up, pick up."

The line went to his mailbox.

"Dammit!"

_I never planned that I would leave you there alone,_  
_I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home._  
_And all the times I swore that it would be okay;_  
_Now I'm nothing but a liar, and you're thrown into the fray._

Dao had to stop at a red light. He tapped his index finger on the wheel anxiously wait for it to change green. He then started to send a text message to his brother.

Message Sent: _Dude, did you see a light coming from your place? - Big Bro_

Nothing.

Message Sent: _Dude, call me me ASAP. - Big Bro_

Still no reply. Dao thought that Jian's phone might have ran out of power, or some other calming reason why he wasn't replying.

Message Sent: _R U Ok? - Big Bro__  
_

"Hurry up you stupid damn light!" Dao yelled in anger and impatience. The light finally turned green.

Message Sent: _Please pick up man. - Big Bro_

* * *

_This bedtime story ends with misery ever after,_  
_The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter._  
_I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do;_  
_I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you._

After evading some of the White Fang sentries, Jian almost made it to the bottom. _Tenth floor man, halfway there!_ He thought to himself. He was then met with four armed grunts, and a man in a black suit with a white mask. He stared at him, and smirked.

"Can I help you?" asked Jian. "Because I'm in the middle of something."

The man took a step forward.

"Yes you can," he said. "I want whatever you're holding, kid. Be compliant, and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

_How did he know about my project? No, this is not the time to get psyched out. Play dumb and cool. _"I have no idea what you're talking about mister. I'm just ahh... ugh... night manager?"

"Hmph, classic," said the masked man. "

"But let's just say hypothetically I do know what you're talking about: What use is it to you?"

"None of your business," he replied. "Now I don't have time to waste."

"Why, expecting a hot date later? Or did she dump 'cause of your stupid cosplay?"

"Real funny kid; but on a more serious note, how would you like to die?"

"Oh... wow, is this really happening right now?" Jian responded. "Because if it is, I'm all for it."

Then man grinned.

"You think you're pretty slick, huh kid?"

"Nope," Jian rebuttal. "But trust me, you don't want any of whatever I am right now buddy. My score today is at thirty-six. How'd you like to be number thirty-seven?"

"Pretty big talk coming from a kid in a tin suit."

"Big talk coming from a guy to sends his goons to do his dirty work."

_"Jian, the jamming source is strongest here. I believe he is the origin of the communication blackout. He must be holding some kind of jamming device. Get close enough and take out the source. Once that is accomplished, communications will be back online."_

" Noted. Alice, Excaliburs."

_"Excaliburs: Deployed."_

_I know you've lived a nightmare;_  
_I caused you so much pain._  
_But, baby, please don't do what I did;_  
_I don't want you to waste your life in vain._

* * *

Dao was almost there. He throttled the engine and even had to drive through a construction site, but he would make it before the response crew would. There was a problem however. The traffic in front of him wasn't moving. He honked his horn and stuck his head outside of the window.

"What's the holdup?!" he yelled in the middle of traffic. It was then he saw what was causing the block. A downed Bullhead was in the middle of the intersection.

"Oh god no..." Dao got out of his car, locked it, and continued on foot. He ran as fast as he can and soon enough he found himself outside of the building. He looked up and there was a giant hole on the twenty-second floor.

"No..."

He felt his phone vibrate and took it out. It was a message from Jian.

Message Received: _I'm sorry bro. - Lil Bro_

* * *

Jian swung his blades left and right, but this guy was dodging all of his strikes. It was frustrating, and tiring. He was panting heavily and almost out of breath.

"Alice, dust this prick!"

_"Starlight Express: Deployed. Reaper: Deployed. Firing barrage."_

Jian's left rear shoulder armor revealed eight small ports. They fired out multiple streams of light, all converging onto the masked opponent. He quickly evaded them as all the heat-seeking magic missiles exploded around him, all in the while Reaper spurred out hot lead, all missing the target. It made a ticking noise. _Empty_. He tried firing his arcane missiles. _Empty too. _The minigun detacted from his shoulder and made a low thud upon impact.

"Rifle."

_"Boomstick: Deployed."_

From his right arm, a rifle swung out from underneath his wrist. He took aim and fired ten concentrated beam shots. His foe took out a sword and absorb all of the shots. Jian couldn't believe it. He pulled out the big gun.

"Cannon!" he yelled. "Urk! Still hurts to yell."

_"Big Bad Wolf: Deployed."_

Both his arms fused once more. The massive barrel extended outward. He took aim, and was locked on.

"Do it."

He fired. The beam made contact but it was towards the sword.

_Red like roses_  
_Fills my head with dreams and finds me_  
_Always closer_  
_To the emptiness and sadness_  
_That has come to take the place of you._

He exhausted the beam and it quickly died out. Jian was in complete disbelief. His opponent made a sinister smile and swung his blade. A great stream of light burst from the sword towards Jian. He quickly closed his eyes and held both his hands in front of himself.

_"Black-shield: Deployed."_

The attack struck him with great force and made him fly across the entire floor. Windows shattered and Jian smacked right at the wall with great force. He was on his knee. He panted. He was bleeding from his forehead and could see some blood stain the inside of his visor. He could taste his own blood in his mouth.

"Alice," he huffed. "Sword... and shield... please."

_"Excalibur: Deployed. Aegis: Deployed._

The man walked up towards Jian, and pointed a gun at him.

"Had enough? Tin-man?"

Jian slowly got back up and slowly muttered, "Bitch... please..."

He lunged at the man and swung his shield and sword around, flailing almost. The masked man struck him back and forth. Jian could watch as his HUD displayed multiple warnings, and be helpless and his opponent danced all over him. He parried a few attacks to only be hit by three others.

_You're not the only one who needed me; I thought you understood._  
_You were the one I needed, and you left me as I always feared you would._  
_Would I change it if I could?_  
_It doesn't matter how,_  
_The petals scatter now._  
_Every nightmare just discloses_  
_It's your blood that's red like roses,_  
_And no matter what I do,_  
_Nothing ever takes the place of you._

_"Warning! Armor integrity is at: 45 percent... 38 percent... 12 percent... Dust capacitors, dropping! Black-shield is inoperable. Jian, your vitals are dangerously low..."_

"Don't tell me the obvious Alice!" Jian could barely see straight. He retracted his sword and tried to hold himself up, only to fall again. _This guy is dancing all over you. No. No! I'm not gonna be beatin by some lowlife radical. I'll show him... I'll show him what for!_

The mask man leaned over him and crouched down.

"So, tin-man, any last words before I take that little toy off your ha-." Jian made a desperate punch and nailed him by the side of his face. He then activated Excalibur and tried to take his head, but his opponent evaded the swing. He swung angrily again and again but couldn't land a single blow. He tried to ram him with his shield but that also failed. Aegis was kicked off his wrist and the shield flew across the room like a frisby. The four grunts ducked and watch as the shield connected with one of the columns. Jian was on his last leg. He could do a leap strike and plunge his blade down at his opponent. If the mask man moves, he could just swing left or right. What other options of he have?

"So," said the masked man. "I'll ask again. Are you going to hand it over or not?"

Jian panted heavily, and took a deep breath. _It's now, or never._

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" He charged and jumped, aiming his sword at the masked man's smug face.

_Red like roses_  
_Fills my head with dreams and finds me_  
_Always closer_  
_To the emptiness and sadness_  
_That has come to take the place of -_

_- An error has occurred. Unable to continue playlist._

_..._

_- Warning: Breach in system. Internal system shock engaged._

_..._

_- A.I. Alice has shut down for a brief moment. Please standby..._

_"... Jerrr... I-Ammyyy... Ji-Onnnn... Jian... Jian...? Are you there? Hold on, your visor blacked out for a second. Let me recalibrate it. There we go..."_

Jian's sword scratched the surface of the floor. He could feel a sharp feeling through his body. He got a better look at what happened. His assailant was under him, but it appear that he was holding him. _Why? _He couldn't move. He detached his sword from his forearm and felt a really sharp pain in his chest. He tried to feel what happened and finally knew what happened. The assailant's sword penetrated through his armor and made its way through Jian entirely. The victor removed the sword from Jian and sheathed it. He crouched over and took the Dust Bunny from the dying fifteen year old. He looked over at him, smiling at his fallen quarry. With a quick swish of his blade, Jian's visor was cut open in half. The man finally got a better look at his opponent.

"Good effort kid," he said. "But next time, do the smart thing." He threw a flash bomb and just as quickly as it went off, the assailant, the White Fang members, they all disappeared. Jian lied on the cold, blood soaked floor on the tenth story. He coughed out blood. And rebuttal, quietly, to the comment made by his killer.

"I... did."

He could hear a woman's voice repeating his name.

_"Jian... Jian... Jian!"_

He coughed out some blood, and responded.

"Alice? That you?"

_"Jian, your vital status has been discontinued from my system! How are you doing?"_

"Yeah, I kinda had a sword through my chest."

_"This is not time for jokes!"_

"Who the hell... said I was joking?"

Jian, feeling cold and alone, requested one last thing.

"Alice... are comms back online?"

_"Yes. I'll contact an emergency medical team at once!"_

"No... no. Can you sent a message from... my contact list?"

_"Only in textual format."_

"Good... good."

This was good news. But with so little time, he only has a moment send a quick message. He looked back on his life. All of the times he's spend living his life. He could now remember everything. Everything thing that he would have forgotten: His first birthday, his first day at school, his first crush, his first fight, his first tear. Now comes the repressed memories: The fatal airship crash that took his parents, his worst beating from his brother, his worst schoolyard bully, the meanest thing that everyone has said to him. But then came the best moments: His family vacation to the Vytal Festival, his first pet, the lessons his brother taught him, every bully that picked on him being beaten up by his brother. He then realized that his brother has done all these things, but he never did anything great for him. He looks at the visor piece that was still intact, gazing at the family photo.

"Alice. Go to my contact list and find Dao Reemer."

_"... What do you want me to send?"_

He thought his last words carefully. No more jokes. No more "I hate you" jokes. None of that. He spoke his last words before leaving this world. One last tear dropping from his eye.

"I'm... sorry... bro."

_"Message sent. You have four new messages from Dao Reemer. Would you like me to open them Jian? Jian? Jian? Please don't leave me... Jian?"_

* * *

Dao ran inside of the building, trying his best to find his little brother. He made his way to the tenth floor. Shards of glass littered the entire story.

"JIAN!?" he yelled, hoping to get a response. He continued inside and stepped in something wet. The moonlight revealed something that concerned him greatly. _Please don't let this be his bl__ood. _He followed the bloody bath, and it lead him to a suit of armor. He looked over the armor, he covered his mouth with his right hand and tilted the head of the the bloody armored corpse with his left. He quickly squinted his eyes and got to his knees. He cried silently on top of his dead brother, as the sound of sirens circled the building. Dao took Jian into his arms, and raised his brother's head. Whispering words that he hoped would be the last words he could hear.

"I couldn't take care of you. I promised mom and dad I would."

He was praying for a miracle, he plead and cried out, but no one answered.

"Jian, I'm sorry, please don't you die on me dammit."

Still in denial.

"Can't you hear me? Dammit I said I'm sorry!"

The police made their way to the tenth floor. A helicopter headlight revealed the scene.

"I'm... I'm sorry little brother... I... I'm sorry bro."


End file.
